Eyes on the prize: bhs cheer takes the cake

NatashaMaters'16

March 16th, 2014 is a day both the JV and Varsity Cheerleaders will never forget. Together, the girls won back-to-back championship titles during their final competition in Division II. With the combination of hard work, determination, and the overcoming of setbacks, the Spirit team managed to defeat tough rivals, including Goffstown and Windham. “The team did not have any expectations about placement,” varsity team captain Caroline Dudas said, “The only expectation we had was of ourselves: to perform to the best of our ability and to hit a solid routine without any mistakes.” With these goals in mind, and the combined motivation of all the cheerleaders, the Bedford Spirit teams were successful in performing their best routine at states. “There were no mistakes with the tumbling or stunting,” Dudas said, “We had lots of energy and it really showed through the cleanliness of our motions and our facial expressions.” Winning didn’t come easily, though. Throughout the winter season, a few girls encountered minor injuries that set back both the JV and Varsity teams. Such obstacles, however, didn’t stop the cheerleaders from working together in order to take home the championship title. “We all stepped up to help the girls who were hurting,” Dudas said, “The girls with injuries also stepped up and worked hard all season to overcome their injuries and perform well—even with their limitations.” Along with conquering injuries, the Spirit teams had to work extra hard in order to place first against challenging opponents, and ended up narrowly beating Goffstown and Windham, who placed second and third consecutively. High stakes and increased competition, however, didn’t harm sportsmanship between rivals. “Since I became part of the squad,” Dudas said, “I have seen the friendliness between teams in Division II increase dramatically. The difficulty is definitely growing, but so is the sportsmanship!” Now, with two new state championship titles under their belts, the Spirit teams look forward to the challenges of next year’s high-level competition and performances as they enter Division I.